Once more the Bigfoot has made it into the news.

For decades, people have claimed to see Bigfoot creatures in the deep wooded areas of our nation. Some have even taken pictures of them. Usually the picture are blurry. Back in the 70’s, the action hero the Six Million Dollar man even fought a Bigfoot. It turned out to be a robot. It’s a cheesy fight scene on Youtube.

Well, the men at this news conference claimed to have found a Bigfoot. More, they report this dead creature is being preserved in a huge freezer. Several days after this story came out, it was discovered to be another hoax. Truly it is amazing how many people will believe such tales. Compare these tales to the Gospels. The Gospels tell us of the Son of God who left heaven and entered this world in a real human body. He later suffered and died for His people and rose again from the dead.

There is no myth or hoax with the Gospel story. The Bible dates these events and supplies numerous eyewitness accounts and testimonies. Some of those testimonies are from people who did not at first believe. Later God in His grace worked faith in their hearts. They believed in Jesus and found new life.

Mr. Monk, the brilliant detective, suffers from Obsessive Compulsive Disorder or OCD. Some who struggle with this problem will, for example, go to bed knowing they shut the front door. But once in bed they begin to spiral down into doubt. They wonder, “Did I really shut that door?” So they get up and check their six locks again. They might go through this routine three or four times before finally falling asleep from exhaustion.

Is there any hope for such folk? Yes, real lasting help is understanding the roots of OCD. For many this perfectionism is due to a desire to be certain. They always look inside themselves for answers about locked doors and closed windows. OCD sufferers need to be taught to look for certainty outside themselves. They must find it in the unchanging and loving Christ. Resting in the gracious Savior has helped other people struggling with doubts. Read Mark 9:14-32. Pay special notice to verse 24.

OCD by God’s grace can be overcome. No one need be trapped like a Mr. Monk obsessing about boiling their tooth brush, touching every parking meeter on a street or locking a door. Christ has come to set captives of all types of sin free.

Michael Phelps accomplishments at the Olympic Games in Bejing is beyond description. He won eight gold medals. Four years before, in Athens, he swam away with six. He has a total of 14 Olympic gold medals. (He mentioned that he will compete for gold at the 2012 Games in London.) To accomplish these goals Phelps demonstrated perseverance, patience and being goal-orientated.

The Christian life is compared in the Bible to a race. It also requires perseverance. Believers must live this life from their conversion to death. That maybe 80 or more years in some cases. What’s more, believers are focused on a goal: to complete their spiritual race in a way that honors Christ.

How do they do it? Certainly not like Michael Phelps who fueled his body with a daily 12,000 calorie diet! Believers are fueled with the Spirit and grace of Christ. Now, of course, believers will not get gold medals like Phelps. They get something better! It is to hear Christ say when their race is over, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”

Former Presidential candidate John Edwards has now admitted to an adulterous affair. It is not a new story.

Over three thousand years ago a King had such an affair. He too lied about it to his nation. He tried to cover it up by arranging for the woman’s husband to be killed in battle. Every Sunday he went to church as if he was a righteous man. He sang loudly the hymns. Many were his own compositions. His sin was eventually brought before the public not by the press but by a prophet of God.

That king sincerely asked God to forgive him for his web of deceit, adultery, murder and hypocrisy. His name was David. He was an ancestor of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ alone is the truly righteous King. He is without sin. He came from heaven to seek and spiritually rescue sinners of all types and descriptions. The wonder of the Gospel is that those who believe in Christ alone are viewed by the heavenly Father as righteous. He sees His forgiven children in Christ as if they never broke His Law of holiness. More, He sees them in Jesus as if they had perfectly lived a holy life. That righteousness of Christ is a gift of God.

Whatever sin you have committed can be forgiven and put away by the God of mercy and grace. He delights in forgiving and receiving sinners in His Son, Jesus. Heaven will be filled with forgiven and cleansed adulterers, idolaters, theives, homosexuals, drunkards, liars, and murderers to name a few. All are new men and women in Jesus. No other faith in this world has this message of grace.

Former Vice-President Al Gore preaches that we must all decrease our carbon footprint. Yet, once again he is caught telling us to do what he won’t do himself. Many call that hypocrisy. They are right.

Why is he hypocritical? First, he is not the only hypocrite in this world by a long shot. All of us can be hypocritical. The reason is our sinful hearts. Face it, we want to appear before others as righteous and zealous. We want others to think highly of us.

Those who have committed themselves to Christ must be very careful about hypocrisy. Jesus speaking on that subject declared, “Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven.” Christians must not live their lives to receive the applause of man. They live quiet, humble lives to please God. What matters in the end is what God thinks of us.

Amy Winehouse in the video above is giving the appearance of quickly snorting a line of cocaine. Her sad story is not unique in the history of rock music. Numerous entertainers have actually died as a result of their drug and alcohol addictions. Such slavish addictions abound in our culture. Regrettably, some will end up in prison or dead perhaps at their own hand.

Amy Winehouse’s high profile life reminds us we are all slaves to something. If it isn’t alcohol or drugs, it might be sex, money or food. There is hope though for us - slaves to sin. That hope is in Christ. The Bible says,” if the Son (Jesus) sets you free, you will be free indeed” The Bible as well anounces,” Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” The Gospel holds forth the promise that if we repent of our sins and believe in Christ alone, God will forgive and cleanse us. He will by His wonderful grace makes us new from within. No rehab center can make that promise. There is hope for Amy Winehouse and all slaves including us, if we turn in faith to Christ.

Miley Cyrus is on a roll with her hit television show, “Hannah Montana”, records and now a July movie plus concert. Many are hoping that this Disney girl will not end up like previous ones such as the out control Britney Spears.  But there is something you should notice about this video - the screaming fans. Not only do they scream incessantly they want to touch their teen idol as seen in the video. They are not the first generation of teens to do so. Forty years four years ago the screaming was over the Beatles. The difference is that the bulk Miley’s fans are younger. Many are between 7-10 years of age. The Bible shows us only one is worthy of such adulation. He is the One who loved and gave Himself up to the death of the cross to save His people from hell. This person is Jesus.

The character Hellboy entered our world when Nazi scientists opened a portal into the netherworld. Raised by human beings Hellboy obediently serves humanity in fighting against evil. Hellboy is thus fighting against his original nature. He was created for evil. If you watch Hellboy look past the action and special effects. Think upon the themes. One is that Hellboy reminds us that we have a distorted, deformed nature. We, however, do not need to be enslaved to it. How can one break free? The Gospel of Christ shows the only hope is becoming new men or women through faith in Christ. Living the Christian life is not easy. It is a daily spiritual struggle against our old sinful nature. Through the grace of Christ though one can begin to prevail.

The Incredible Hulk is the story of Bruce Banner. As a result of making a tragic choice to be bombarded with gamma rays, his genetic makeup is altered. When his heart beat reaches 200, he turns into a hulking, raging figure. He reminds us of a two-year-old having a temper tantrum. Only Banner’s wild creature within tosses real cars as if they were toy automobiles. Banner agonizes over these transformations into the Hulk. At one point he groaned, “I don’t want to control it, I want to get rid of it.”

Banner’s plight reminds us of an old story. It all started when Adam made a sinful choice to rebel against God. Ever since every person is born with a raging, wild sinful nature. The only hope is not in science. It is in Christ. Jesus the Son of God took a true human nature without sin. He suffered and died in the place of His people. He rose again on the third day to show His life and death were accepted by God to bring His people forgiveness and eternal life.

Christians live in this world with two natures. As new creations in Christ, we long to live and serve Jesus. Yet, we still have remnants of that old sinful nature. It constantly wants to be dominant. Thankfully, this spiritual war is not one which the Christian fights alone. Christ has given His people the Holy Spirit. Through the powerful working of the Spirit, believers can make progress in putting to death those sinful desires. When they fail and they will, they can seek God’s gracious forgiveness. They know their loving heavenly Father will cleanse and renew them. As well they have the wonderful promise that when Christ returns they will be fully like Him. The old hulking nature of sin will be forever gone.

Tony Stark thought life was all about fame, fortune and females. Then everything changed with a terrorist attack. He now had a new calling. It was forging a new weapon to take vengeance. A more interesting and true story of transformation occurred long ago. It had to do with a selfish, proud self-righteous religious fanatic. He was an accomplice to murder. His new calling brought much suffering to into his life. In fact, a crowd once stoned him with rocks and left him for dead. His name is St. Paul. Read his story in the New Testament book Acts chapter 9.